Morgan’s background drives him to give his time

Joshua Morgan has no ties to Ohio, but the Niners wide receiver was right at home on the team’s first full day in Youngstown on Monday.

It was players’ off day and Morgan was doing what he does on each of his off days during the NFL’s regular season: He was at a charity event with the rest of the offensive players, this one at Akron Children’s Hospital of Mahoning Valley.

Morgan was the only player with perfect attendance at the 49ers’ day-off charity events last year. And in 2009 …

“I don’t think I missed too many events,” he said.

Morgan, who grew up in Washington, D.C., said he saw too many friends with more athleticism than he had end up dead or in jail.

His background is what drives him to visit juvenile centers, schools and hospitals on his days off.

“We never had anything like this when we were growing up in my neighborhood,” Morgan said at the children’s hospital. “We never saw the Redskins, we never saw the Washington Wizards, we never saw the Baltimore Orioles. Nobody came to us.

“And I feel like if we would have had something positive to look up to, if we would have stuff like this in our neighborhood, that could have saved a lot of people’s lives. That could have kept a lot people out of jail. It could have done a lot.”

According to Niners co-owner Dr. John York, 93 percent of the players combined to perform 1,500 hours of community service last year and, “Clearly Joshua Morgan was No. 1.”